Another Chance
by littlemissSHAMEless
Summary: Salazar jerked into a sitting position on the bed. Pulling in labored breaths, he clutched at his aching chest and looked around the small dank, and rather bare room in a slight panic. Eyes wild as he tried to get a baring on his surroundings. 'Dursley's House,' he thought to himself after a moment. 'Number four Privet Drive.' Salazar reincarnation story. HarryHermione SalRow
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Salazar jerked into a sitting position on the bed. Pulling in labored breaths, he clutched at his aching chest and looked around the small dank, and rather bare room in a slight panic. Eyes wild as he tried to  
get a baring on his surroundings. 'Dursley's House,' he thought to himself after a moment. 'Number four Privet Drive.'

He clutched the ratty comforter with shaking hands and eased himself back onto the lumpy mattress. The spring dug painfully into his back but he ignored it for a pain much worse. His chest ached and the lump in his throat grew painful and as he tried to pull air in around it, he ended up letting out a strangled sob. His dear Rowena. Sweet, kind, gentle Rowena.

Their time was over a thousand years ago. His life with Rowena had been ripped away from him. He wanted to curse something. To strangle something. No... he wanted his Rowena. He wanted to spend the rest of forever in tangled arms. This could not be the next great adventure. It can not be great without her.

Was... was there a possibility that she was her in this world too? He was here so that it wasn't impossible. If anything, he could take his life to be with her? No. People were watching him. Dumbledore's people. They would intervene as soon as he tried something. He supposed they could not be quick enough if he say slit his throat... or a self turned Avada Kadavera. But of course that wouldn't work because his wand would never allow him to do that. They wanted him alive. Alive so he could defeat the Dark Lord of this time. They wanted him for a scapegoat. He had destroyed the Dark Lord of his original time, and look at what has become of his name. In this time, he was a muggle hating tyrant, who left a beast locked in the school to kill off muggle-born students. He was cruel, calculating, cold, and had a superiority complex the size of a Hungarian Horntail.

**Just a short Intro**


	2. Hush

**Welcome to chapter two. It's really kind of like a second... much longer intro actually. Chapter three will connect the first to chapters sooo... get to reading.**

**Chapter Two: Hush**

The halls were silent mostly. In the faint distance, he heard the voices of his three companions in a possible heated discussion. For the most part he ignored them as he continued to write at a furious speed. The man was very well educated. Self taught mostly, with a thirst for knowledge that rivaled that of even Rowena Ravenclaw.

However he was a more cunning man who used his charm to get people to see things his way. However, he wasn't an overly confidant man, and most found him rather charming with his occasional habit of rambling passionately about whatever it was he was speaking about. He supposed that was why people were drawn to him. His passion, and his passion, was furthering the wizarding world into a great, more prosperous time.

He continued writing up his plans and ideas. Future plans for the wizarding world. Plans for the school. For laws. For needed departments in the forming ministry. And for separation from the muggles. He would be presenting them to his friends before taking them in any direction.

The man's lips pressed into a tight line and his eyes held such focus it would be intimidating to any other then his love. His tongue poked out from between his lips, another habit many found charming about him much to his embarrassment. His dark ebony hair, while naturally messy and uncontrollable, he had charmed to lay combed back to be presentable in front of others. He was not cleanly shaven as many imagined when hearing about him and he found it rather funny when he introduced himself. People didn't imagine him to sport a mustache and stubble, shaped into a goatee, but his loved found it attractive and was rather fond of it so he would keep it trimmed so it didn't grow out into a full on beard like a certain a red headed friend of his. His lips were not overly soft but not rugged and torn. They were not thin but not full either. A good in-between he had always thought. his nose was average and was perfectly proportionate with his face, only slightly crooked from breaking it in a fight. His almond shaped eyes were green.

_'Not just any green dear. They are not so drab as to call just green. They are like... pure emeralds, liquified and poured into the irises of your eyes.'_ He chuckled lowly at thoughts of his dear love as she scolded him for not dong his eyes justice in description.

A scar marred his slightly tanned skin on right temple, running down over an eyebrow and stopped just next to his eye. Other then that, his skin was smooth bar the laugh lines near his eyes that crinkled when he smiled. He had certain aristocratic features about him, but not as pointed as others. He had a strong jaw and an angular face. His body was not a thin as others. He had a strong build but not as bulky as say Godric's. He was a healthy medium muscled to the point it showed but didn't bulge. He was also tall, standing and a good stature of 6'2".

His hands which currently held his quill tightly, were the roughest part about him. Calloused and burned from his work with potions and dueling, they still had an elegant look to them as he wrote.

"There," he said to himself, his voice smooth as honey, and a deep baritone. "That should be about... Done."

He finished with a flourish and with a quick drying spell, he grabbed his parchment and took off to find his dear friends. His black robes billowed slightly behind him as he exited his office.

"Hello Professor Slytherin." students greeted him as he passed.

He would greet them in return with a nod and a "Good day" or "Hello". Salazar loved teaching the students. They were rather amusing and he was always sure to have a story or two to share with the others at the end of the day. Godric had never found his stories funny, or the students for that matter, rather that their blunders could cost them in the future, but Helga and Rowena would giggle and laugh with mirth.

Currently it was only the four of them teaching. That was another one of his plans. Find others qualified to teach the students so they wouldn't have to each take on so many students and so many subjects. The number of students was increasing each year and along with them, the number of muggleborns. Those students were always particularly scared when coming to Hogwarts. Muggles were scared of anything they could not comprehend or did not have any explanation as to how it was possible. Magic. Muggles were deathly afraid of magic at the time. This was why Salazar wanted to propose separation. Most said that separation was only a flittering thought in most heads. But to Salazar, it was a priority. He wouldn't deny if one asked him if he hated muggles. He would say yes but before giving an opportunity for the person to panic, he would explain that he hated muggles for what they were doing to innocent people they believed to have magic. He only wanted separation between the two worlds to create a safe haven for witches and wizards. To save the muggleborns from the danger of being burnt at the stake or whatever the other horrors the muggles came up with. To pull the muggleborns from their homes and raise them until the muggles stopped believing in magic. If they stopped believing, they would be able to live among them safely. He didn't want any of the unprotected children hurt.

He knew he would have Rowena's support. She supported him in almost everything, unless of course he was being hotheaded and hadn't thought everything out. Which later of course she would point out any flaws which was why he spent time with careful planning, she she couldn't point anything out. Helga would be a bit skeptic but she was a reasonable person and with a bit of explaining, she would likely see that his plan was a good thing. It would of course be Godric who would be the trouble one. Godric his stubborn and opinionated friend would never back down from anything. And he saw a good in muggles Salazar never could.

He found them bickering in the courtyard, or rather Rowena and Godric were bickering and Helga sat off to the side on one of the many benches smoothing out her golden dress and dark cloak, watching them with her usual slightly dreamy expression which had been overcome with amusement. She was a kind faced woman with a heart shaped face and long pale blond hair which was pulled into a loose, low ponytail. A few pieces had fallen out of the strip of ribbon and framed her face with a slight curl to it. Her cheeks and lips highlighted her pale creamy complexion with the lightest shade of pink. She looked over to him with pale blue eyes and smiled warmly. She was a rather short woman standing at 5'4" and she had a curvy look to her.

"Hello Salazar." she greeted, her voice as soft as ever.

"Hello Helga." Salazar said after a moment, thinking that if Godric and Rowena knew he was there they would stop. But of course they didn't. Their arguments were getting more heated then they had been in the past and Salazar amused himself with the thought that if there were no students, and Helga and himself were not around, their fights would escalate to throwing a few curses at each other. "How long have they been at it?" he asked with a light chuckle as he sat himself down next to her.

"Not terribly long." she answered. "Since you locked yourself in your office I suppose. Have you finished whatever it is you were working on?"

"Yes as a matter of fact I have." he said with playful posh tone.

Helga laughed softly and returned to her watching Godric and Rowena.

Godric was a very large man. Not terribly large as compared to Salazar but if you put small Helga up next to him it would be rather amusing. That was why it was so funny to see Rowena verbally man handle him as she was not much larger than Helga. Godric stood even taller that Salazar at 6'3" and was a bit more bulky in build. He strong jaw was covered by he beard. His long flaming red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. His robes moved around him as he made dramatic arm movements as he argued.

"Rowena do you not see how devious... how evil that man is becoming?"

_'Curious.'_ Salazar thought._ 'Who are they speaking of.'_

His face was pulled into a scowl which wasn't much better then the stony mask of indifference he usually had. It was very rarely now that Salazar saw his large friend smile as merrily as he did in the past and even on those rare occasions Godric was sure to get a hold of himself quickly.

The reason for this was Rowena. His love Rowena.

She looked a lot like Helga actually. Kind face while hers was a bit more narrow then Helga's, curvy, and with a creamy ,though a bit less pale, complexion. Her lips were fuller and much more red then Helga's. Rose red actually. They were soft as well as her skin and her cheeks were tinged with that same light pink. Her dark caramel brown eyes while usually kind and warm, were hard at the moment as she scowled at Godric. Her long dark drown hair fell down her back and framed her face in curls was in a slight mess as she had snapped her head toward Godric as she paced in from of him. Her diadem was in place ,if not slightly lopsided, as usual helped keep most of her hair in place. Her cloak billowed behind her as she paced and her midnight blue dress with bronze trim gave her an exaggerated and frankly scary look as she glared at the red head.

"Godric think with your head not your broken pride!" she snapped. "Salazar has no ill will."

_'Oh so it's me they are fighting about.'_ Salazar thought sinking slightly into the bench.

"Better stop this now Salazar." Helga said from beside him. "Make Godric see clearly."

Salazar stared at her for a moment before he pushed himself out of his seat.

"Rowena. Godric." he started smoothly. "I have something to share."

"What is that Slytherin?" Godric snapped. "Have something to share on your views have you?"

Salazar's brows furrowed in confusion fro a moment before he looked up at Godric. "Yes." he said slowly. "I do actually."

"There!" Godric said suddenly, pointing a finger at Salazar. "I told you Rowena. Of what he is becoming!"

"Oh?" Salazar asked, suddenly slightly angry with his friend. "And what is it Godric that I am becoming."

Salazar knew that Godric would have spat at him had their not been others mainly the few students that still wondered the halls present. "The very snake that has come to symbolize your house." Godric said. "Vile. Sly. Hateful!"

"What are you talking about Godric?" Salazar asked. "When have I given you this impression of me?"

"You speaking of the deaths of muggles happily." Godric scoffed. "What would possibly make me think that you are not turning into a Dark Lord?"

"A Dark Lord." Salazar said shocked. "You think I would become a Dark Lord? Godric my magic may be of dark origin but that does not make me evil. And what is this about killing muggles? I don't kill muggles."

"No but you planned it!" Godric yelled. "That is what keep you locked away in your office. These plans you want to show us."

"No Godric!" Salazar interupted. "I never said anything like that! I have nothing against the muggles."

"You have nothing against the muggles?" Godric asked with a quirked eyebrow and Salazar saw the gleam in his eyes. Godric had something. "I suppose nothing to you is years of abuse by their hands? Or have you forgotten those two dear muggles that took you and your brother in. How that man that beat you when you showed signs of being a wizard. That is nothing friend? Have you forgotten it was I that saved you from that place? How about that time when we were younger. They burnt you at the stake. Hm? Is that nothing?"

Salazar swallowed thickly.

"Then you have something against them." Godric said with a glare. "You should be banished from these grounds!" he yelled and Salazar felt his blood turn to ice in his veins.

"Godric think for a moment and listen to what Sal is saying!" Rowena said with an exasperated tone. "Not what you heard, but what he is saying!"

He glanced at Rowena and smiled slightly before looking from Rowena back to Godric."That is not what I am saying Godric" Salazar urged. "I have no ill will toward the muggles. I simply do not see the good you see in them. They hunt us like wild beasts to slaughter! Burnings don't hurt us that is true and the sensation is rather pleasant I admit, but untrained witches and wizards can't protect themselves from the muggles. That and the muggles will learn they cannot kill us that way. Godric they tied six stones to the ankles of some poor child, and tossed him into the channel. Tell me now they mean no harm if they can kill such an innocent."

"Salazar you with your sly tongue! I heard you! Speaking of the destruction of the muggles just nights ago! Of making blood pure. The muggles are scared, and only need to be reasoned with. We shall create a treaty with them. They are god fellows as are we!"

"I do not understand. I never spoke of such things Godric. I do not wish to kill the muggles!"

"Godric," Helga said softly, Salazar could tell by the sad look on her face she was getting upset. "Please stop yelling. Listen to Salazar."

"Listen to Salazar." Godric said. "Listen to Salazar!"

Godric began pacing furiously. "You say listen to Salazar. I suppose he has all of the answers doesn't he?"

The other three watched the man, very much like a lion, as he paced angrily.

"You have bewitched them." Godric said suddenly, looking at Salazar darkly. "That is why they aren't reasonable."

"Godric you are the only one here not being reasonable!" Rowena yelled.

A spell was shot between them, blasting apart one of the benches. Their heads snapped in toward the caster, thinking it was just a student, they quickly drew their wands when a tall, thin man seemed to materialize out of thin air.

"Oh my." came the scratchy voice of the man. "Have I come at a bad time?"

Godric eyed the man suspiciously. "Who are you?" he asked.

"It will be quick I swear." the man said, before the ground from under their feet was blasted apart.

"That, Godric, is the Dark Lord." Salazar yelled out in frustration as he tumbled on the ground before pushing himself to his feet quickly.

Godric said nothing as spells between the four flew. Salazar had sounded the alarm for the students to return to their dormitories as swiftly as possible, so with them currently safely tucked away in the castle, they let lose their magic and battled the lord with all of their power.

The man blasted apart the ground again before trapping Godric, Rowena, and Helga in the rocks. Salazar watched, eyes wide as the man cackled and pointed his wand at them. From his place on the ground, not far behind the man, Salazar pushed himself up and threw his arms around the man as the spell was let lose. A strange, silent, silvery spell.

Salazar shoved the man away, only to watch the man as he fell. Tiredly, he looked up and watched his friends as they clawed themselves out of the trap.

"Salazar!" he heard Rowena cry and suddenly, he found himself looking up at the sky.

_'Curious.'_ he thought drowsily.

And then Rowena was back in his range of vision again. He smiled dizzily up at her. A smile she did not return as she continued to worry over him.

"Row..." he said softly. "Will you sing for me?"

Rowena had a beautiful voice and Salazar had a feeling that when he woke up he would be without her. If this was dying it wasn't so bad. But what had happened. Why would the Dark Lord use a suicide spell? Or were they both hit by the same spell? Kind of like two birds with one stone. Whatever this was, is was fuzzy and disorienting.

She looked down at him, tears pooling in her eyes. Had she realized what he had?

"Okay Sal." she said softly.

"_Hush now my love_  
_Wipe those tears please do not cry_  
_My dear loved one, lay down your weary head._  
_Its time lay and rest_  
_Lie still in sweet slumber_  
_Just close your eyes and let your dreams take you_  
_to a world of your creation_  
_Look at you now_  
_So serene my love_  
_I wish you now find your next great adventure_  
_For I know it's waiting_  
_And I pray you love, wait for me_  
_I will be with you_  
_One of these following days_  
_And we shall spend the rest of forever in tangled arms_  
_Until then I have some work to do_  
_To see your vision of our world come true_  
_Go now love_  
_Find the peace you deserve_  
_But never leave me_  
_Never look away_  
_Be my shining light_  
_My star, My guide_  
_And wait for me_  
_Near the gates to paradise"_

Salazar smiled, a light feeling settling over him. He looked up at his friends a tear slipping from the corner of his eye. "I never got to tell you... my plans." He whispered.

"We'll look over your plans love. I'll be sure to correct any of your mistakes."

Salazar laughed lightly at that. "Don't cry... love." he said trying to reach up to wipe away the tear that streaked down Rowena's cheeks but couldn't find the energy. "Next.. great... adventure. Remember?"

Rowena sniffed and quickly wiped away the tears. "Yes love. I remember." she said softly.

"I love you my dear Raven." he whispered as he was pulled from his body.

"I love you too Sal." Rowena whispered.

**So this wasn't like... super detailed. That's for a reason. Thought you should know.**


	3. Dreams

Chapter 2: Dreams

Harry, with a tired slump to his shoulders, dragged himself to the bed in Dudley's second bedroom. Even after all these summers Harry didn't call it his. He didn't claim anything here as his... except the cupboard under the stairs. In green crayon with the scrawl of a three or four year old, the wall of the cupboard still proclaimed it Harry's room and in his childhood bedroom, all of his belongings were locked. His trunk. His school books. And his wand.

He collapsed, exhausted and sore after another long day of chores. He let out a groan which was muffled by the pillow as his body expressed its distress. Muscles and bones ached. His skin was caked with sweat and dirt from the garden. His joints protested as he straightened them out finally. And there was the ever present dull ache of hunger that gnawed at his insides. Harry hadn't earned food tonight. One of the neighborhood dogs dug up Aunt Petunia's hydrangeas in the night and the Dursley's blamed Harry for it. Dudley continued to make a mess in the living room after he moved on to another chore. Then Vernon, who was already having a bad day, was in a nasty foul mood when he arrived home. Harry had been slow today, tired and ache-y from harry hunting, chores, along with lack of food and sleep. Needless to say Uncle Vernon looked like he swallowed a particularly sour lemon as he ordered Harry to his room without dinner. Or perhaps like he had been faced with a few oddly dressed people in brightly colored cloaks.

Life with the Dursleys was hard. At least for him. Food wasn't a necessity. More like a reward when he stayed out of their way, kept the house clean, and put food on the table which Aunt Petunia took credit for if it was more then exceptional or was complemented. At the end of every school year, Harry asked Dumbledore if he could stay at Hogwarts over summer. But every time the elder wizard said it wasn't possible. He was much safer with the Dursleys and it couldn't possibly be as bad as Harry made it sound. The Dursleys were good people he had said. Harry wanted to laugh however bitter that small moment of amusement was.

But laughter, rather Harry's laughter, was not tolerated at the Dursley's. Even if it was sarcastic, he would be punished. Given an even heavier load of chores and even, on more then one occasion, a shove, kick, or punch here or there.

Didn't Dumbledore understand that this was not where he was meant to be? The Dursley's house was not his home. Hogwarts was. A small twinge in his gut told him it wouldn't be a joyous time when he returned though.

Although Harry wasn't supposed to get even the smallest scrap of news from the wizarding world, Hermione charmed her letters to tell him what was going on. How everyone was- though Harry was a bit angry that they wouldn't tell him themselves-, what was going on, where she was... She told him everything. And even if she hadn't said it outright, Harry figured his reputation was being slandered as it dropped further and further. He was seen as an attention seeking nutter who wanted to cause panic with his lies of Voldemort's return. He knew that, and if it took causing a panic to get people to realize the truth so be it. It was really all because of the Minister, a cowardly piece of scum, who allowed himself to be controlled. Exactly why he was till in power most likely.

But that would make his return that much harder. People tended to believe their political leaders over fourteen almost fifteen year old, even if he was the Boy-who-Lived.

And who would ever believe that the most feared man, who everyone well almost everyone, believed to be gone since his defeat when Harry was just a year old. Most of the world didn't know all of the details about his trials through the years while at Hogwarts. Just a general idea really. Someone tried to steal the sorcerers stone but Harry Potter stopped them. The heir of Slytherin set about fulfilling their ancestor's ideas but was halted by Harry Potter. Sirius Black escaped Azkaban to go after Harry who faces the dementors. And then last year. Harry Potter participated and, wrongly in his view, won the triwizard tournament which ended with the death of a champion and the rebirth of a monster. Lord Voldemort returned to life.

Harry had no reason to lie about his return. The man made his life hell so why would he joke or seek attention with saying he had returned? Would anyone side with him? Well, anyone other than the people in this Order and Hermione and Ron. His friends at Hogwarts would surely believe him. His housemates and professors. But the other houses... he supposed besides Slytherin who would be told to pretend to think him insane.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff would be totally different stories. He couldn't say with either of them, but if they hated him last year for being in the tournament, he could only imagine this coming year.

Harry's thoughts wondered as he drifted, finally falling asleep. It was strange though. Before he fell asleep, he mused on how tired he was and how odd he felt. He always stayed up until midnight to celebrate his birthday, but something was pulling him away from awareness.

His dreams, because that is what they were, plural, were odd and jumbled. He would be doing something with people he felt he knew, before he was pulled away into some other scene feeling more and more like he knew them. And his knowledge of them grew. He and Helga sitting under the old willow in silence as they just enjoyed the day and watched the thestrals and winged horses graze. It amazed him that the blond could coax unicorns, skittish as they were, to allow her near enough to pat them. She had called him over and he had just laid his hand on one before he was jerked away off to another scene. He was with Ro, laying in the large bed in their chambers. The fire crackled softly in the background as he stroked her hair and he murmured to her. She grinned and said he always was a romantic as she rolled over and kissed him. He and Godric sat at a tavern. He watched the red head down another mug of his preferred. He rambled drunkenly about nothing of real importance and he changed topics in the middle of others. And it continued like that. Blurred and disorienting, only slowing for a few scenes before more information was pushed into his mind. Halfway through his dreaming, he began to question himself.

_'Who am I?'_


End file.
